Shayne Lee for CNN.com on the Dream Team vs. 2012: “The general consensus appears to side with Jordan and Barkley. In informal online polls, an overwhelming majority of the public favored the Dream Team over our current Olympic Team in a hypothetical matchup. Judging by the polls, pundits and prognostications on the issue, few seem to be taking Kobe’s sacrilege seriously. But I do. In fact, I believe Kobe Bryant’s team would not only win, but also win comfortably. What makes this social scientist so sure?”
Mike Kurylo of Knickerblogger: “Logically there is no reason to be a Knick fan, and yet you, we, persist. By acknowledging we are Knick fans we publicly support the moves of the organization. By watching MSG or buying Knicks gear we give our monetary support to the team. And by staying Knick fans we share the same stubborn traits that continues to make this team doomed to failure. So as Knick fans we not only agree with James L. Dolan, but in some deeper way, we become him.”
Alan Sepinwall started his own blog to rant about Jeremy Lin: “And because the Knicks have traded most of their draft picks for the next several years to assemble this very old team, the only players on it with any upside whatsoever were going to be Iman Shumpert (coming off a knee injury that may steal some of the quickness that made him such a good defender) and Lin. The team as constructed, with Felton and DWI Kidd as the point guards, will be a good team. It will make the playoffs easily, maybe even be in the top half of the bracket. But it will not win a title. The pieces don’t entirely fit together, and most of the players are who they are. If Linsanity was a mirage, then they’re screwed anyway. But if it wasn’t? Then the Knicks gave away their best shot at legitimately competing with Miami, Chicago, OKC, et al, and THEY DIDN’T EVEN GET ANYTHING BACK.”
Those are just a reminder as to how good you have it being a Thunder fan.
An Oklahoma Celebrity fantasy draft.
Small twist: The Thunder won’t be giving a contract to Andray Vorentsevich.
Clark Matthews of The Lost Ogle on Dream Team vs. 2012: “Here’s the thing. The 2012 team is loaded with players that are babies compared to the 1992 team. Just looking at the Thunder players on the roster (who make up 25% of the team), Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden are all approximately 23 years old. In 1992, Barkley, Jordan, and Ewing were at or around 30 (Magic and Bird were much older…only Robinson-27-and Laettner-22-were considered young). Except, by professional experience, it is a wash. Jordan had just completed his seventh NBA season. LeBron James, two years younger, just finished his ninth. Even Durant has five years of NBA service, that’s three more than than David Robinson who was four years older.”
Behind the scenes with President Obama and Team USA.
Very interesting research from Court Vision on where rebounds go.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com with an important note on amnesty: “Don’t forget that teams can only use their one-time amnesty clause on players who were on the roster when the lockout ended last December AND who remain on the same contract in effect at the start of the 2011-12 season. Fifteen teams have used their amnesty clause thus far, leaving 15 teams with 41 players whose contracts are still valid entering the 2013-14 season.”
http://www.dailythunder.com/2012/07/oklahoma-citys-offseason-grade-on-a-curve/
Good articles. Except the one about Obama. Yuk!
This comment has been deleted
@MisterJohnsonOKC @Thunderman It was a video, not an article. As an article, it is pretty poor.
@MisterJohnsonOKC @Thunderman nothing
Field goal percentage from different ranges:
Player A:
-10 to 15 feet: 62.5 percent
-16 to 23 feet: 38.0 percent
Player B:
-10 to 15 feet: 37.5 percent
-16 to 23 feet: 43 percent
@Jooseppi Wow, Harden shot 5-8 from 10-15 feet... on the season.
@ATH @Jooseppi imagine if he taken 200 of those ! an incredible 63% AMAZING
@Jooseppi Shots taken from those ranges?
@Lost Ones Harden takes less than Westbrook. I would like you to answer this question: do you believe taking more low percentage shots is a good thing?
@Lost Ones @ou_sas I'm also done with this particular thread and am moving on to the next one,
@Lost Ones @ou_sas How many more a game? How many less possessions from each player? From what types of possessions for them?I'm not trying to refute or say one way or the other, I'm just trying to get you think analytically.
I think Serge's usage could be slightly higher.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas 16-23 range serge from who from russ kevin and james why? because it opens up the paint
@Lost Ones @ou_sas Where should those shots come from? From who and from what range?
@Jooseppi @ou_sas needs to up his volume
@ou_sas @Lost Ones Serge took 2.6 a game from 16-23 and converted at 46 percent, one of the best bigs in the league from that range.
@ou_sas @Jooseppi I agree serge needs to gain confidence which is IMO what harden lacks with the midrange as well.
@Lost Ones @ou_sas He should take more but not a ton. His long jumper is a recent development. It's valuable as a pressure release or off a pick and pop, but you don't want it to be a high percentage of your offense, just a wrinkle.
@Jooseppi Well, to be fair, you were arguing two slight variations on that same theme.
@Lost Ones @Jooseppi Having a power forward who could catch AND shoot from mid range would open the paint up significantly. He's not wrong.
*Looks significantly at Serge*
@Jooseppi @ou_sas which is funny, because nick said in his exit interview he want to be able to hit more of them to open up the offense.
@ou_sas I was being presented with the notion that he couldn't make those shots. He can, and he's selective about them, but he chooses better ones because he knows what happens when he's less selective, which you second stat illustrates better.
Nick Collison was great from midrange this season with the shots he took. Just didn't take many because Nick Collison taking a midrange jumper isn't something you want to hang your hat on.
@Lost Ones @ou_sas Yes, it was a difficult defense. He has to make changes. But to start taking midrange shots isn't the best change. He should be more involved. The team needs better and more varied sets to get all three players involved. The pindown is great but you need more.
@Jooseppi Oh, totally agree. That statement was meant more as a barometer of the board in general recently. We're all smiles and happiness until anything requiring an opinion comes up and then *WHAM* Argument City.
My thought process is to half play devil's advocate and to half honestly question why Harden doesn't shoot more than 8 shots from the midrange (which, curiously enough, he shot 8-25 from 3-9 feet in the playoffs, so I guess he did) when he had apparently good percentages. The fact is that you're right, that shot isn't as efficient as getting to the rim or the 3 point line, but that 63% doesn't help your case. Those midrange numbers from the playoffs would have been a better counterargument to my questioning than anything else you posted, as it shows exactly what you were saying - when his usage of that shot increased, the efficiency for it fell out the bottom.
@Lost Ones He had a very good Game 2 when Durant was in foul trouble, then they stopped going to him.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas thought it would be worse honestly
@Lost Ones @ou_sas TS% of ~50.5 in the finals. A poor mark for Harden. Took me a second to add it up.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas he played against a top 5 defense in the finals which will probably not change in the future.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas you posted player a vs player b statistics to prove the point that harden is an great mid range shooter, when in fact you failed to mention that the sample size is incredibly small and erroneous.
@ou_sas If that's how it comes across, I'm sorry. I've said over and over Harden had a poor finals, but he had a successful playoffs.
@Lost Ones @ou_sas Tell me where in that I said he should take 10-15 foot shots. Find the words.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas actually you didnt
Field goal percentage from different ranges:
Player A:
-10 to 15 feet: 62.5 percent
-16 to 23 feet: 38.0 percent
Player B:
-10 to 15 feet: 37.5 percent
-16 to 23 feet: 43 percent
@Lost Ones @Jooseppi http://www.hoopdata.com/gamelog.aspx?player=James%20Harden&ha=&month=%&year=20122 Scroll down. That's his playoffs stats.
@Lost Ones @ou_sas I in no way said Harden should take 10-15s. I said he was successful in the small number of shots he has taken there.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas not even trying to argue i'll just like to know what it was against a top 5 defense.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas what was his TS% in the finals?
@Jooseppi @Lost Ones I know, I know. But you put up stats of any description on this board, and it's almost like wearing a sign that says "START A FIGHT WITH ME ABOUT THIS, YOU STOOPID-HEADS!"
@Jooseppi @ou_sas which prove's my point, using harden's small sample sized statistic that you tried to pass off harden should have been taken the 10-15 instead of the 3s.
@ou_sas @Lost Ones Guy had the 7th best TS% in the playoffs and we're pretending like he struggled. 60.5 percent!
@Jooseppi @Lost Ones Thanks.
@Lost Ones @ou_sas You take whatever is more efficient. If a player shoots 20 percent from 3 and 40 percent from 10-15, you want him taking 10-15 over three pointers. This is basic stuff.
@ou_sas @Lost Ones He shot 6.3 FTA a game in the playoffs and 6.0 in the regular season. ESPN has summation game longs in their game log section.
@SoonerSpens @Jooseppi @Lost Ones Sure, but I'm trying to match the disparity of "low percentage shot" with Harden's admittedly skewed shooting percentage from that range.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas make's them more difficult to attempt and execute . it come's down to do you want him taking a much more difficult shot because it's worth more points or do you want him taking an open jumper?
@Lost Ones @ou_sas That doesn't suddenly make them worth less points.
@Jooseppi @Lost Ones Do you have a good site for that data? Hoopdata only has free throws taken and shot locations, not freethrows earned off shot attempts. It's all very well to say that he got to the line more, but on my rough eyeball of the stats, it looks like he's shooting 1-2 free throws per game less in the playoffs.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas 3pt shots are rarely open against great perimeter defenders that is the problem
@SoonerSpens @ou_sas @Lost Ones He's been successful with the number of shots he's taken. That's what I've been saying. If you can't call him good at it, you can't call him bad at it either.
@SoonerSpens @ou_sas @Jooseppi not according to jooseppi
@Lost Ones @ou_sas Shooting a lower percentage from 3 is acceptable because the shot is worth more points. 37 percent from 3 is 1.11 pps, shooting 37 percent from midrange is .74 pps.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas I disagree finishing at the rim is more important can count on refs
@ou_sas @Jooseppi @Lost Ones You can't exactly say Harden is a good midrange shooter when he's taken such low volume from that spot. Small sample size much?
@ou_sas @Lost Ones And got to the line more, which is better than getting to the rim.
@Jooseppi @Lost Ones Except he shot 57% at the rim for the playoffs...
@Jooseppi @ou_sas but he shoots less from 3 than what he shoots from midrange going by your statistics
@Jooseppi @ou_sas you displayed his statistic to showcase that he's actually a better midrange shooter than westbrook by selection or not; considering its a "easier" shot for him he should take it
@Lost Ones @ou_sas He shoots 70 percent at the rim. And gets fouled at the rim.
@Lost Ones @ou_sas He shoots 63 percent from that range because he's selective about when he takes them. He's not a chucker. The average shot from 10-15 feet is going to be less than that.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas if harden's a 63% mid-range shooter shouldn't that be the more desirable shot or am i missing something.
@Lost Ones@ou_sas "
exactly what i was saying statistics will not show that though.
23 MINUTES AGO" in response to ou_sas talking about turnovers.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas shooter*
@Jooseppi @ou_sas the heat was giving harden the midrange shot, considering he's a 63% shooting shouldnt that be a easier shot for him than his sub 40 three?
@Jooseppi @ou_sas when did i say harden turned the ball over as usual putting garbage into my words
@Lost Ones @ou_sas I thought we were talking about the playoffs, not one series?
So if you like mid-range shots, aren't those dependent on going in, as well?
Of course they are. Harden had a bad series in the Miami series but it wasn't because he couldn't get to the rim like you suggest or get to the line like you suggested or turned it over a bunch like you suggested. It's because his shots weren't falling. And if you're shots aren't falling, you know what you should do? Take easier shots, not bad midrange ones.
Is this brand new stuff to you?
@Jooseppi @ou_sas 18-of-48 and 7-of-22 from three-point range
@Lost Ones @ou_sas But you understand he did all that in the playoffs right? They count these things.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas getting to the line is a good thing when you're making your freethrows and attempts at the rim.
@ou_sas @Lost Ones Because he shoots 70 percent at the rim and gets fouled at the rim.
@Lost Ones You're the one insisting it was an issue, so chart it out for me. I know you don't like counting though.
@Jooseppi @Lost Ones You phrase it "taking low percentage shots"... except Harden's percentages from there are above 50%. Why not pull up from 5-10 if he's 63% from there?
@Jooseppi how many times per game did he get stopped from getting to the rim?
@Lost Ones @ou_sas Getting to the line is a good thing. He got to the line more often in the playoffs as a whole. It worked in the playoffs.
@Jooseppi @ou_sas that's the issue, hardens entire game is predicated towards him getting fouled at the rim, when defenses courter his offensive moves he is left with his 3 point shot only which is an issue in a playoff series.
@Lost Ones He got to the rim 3 times a game in the Miami series. Took 4.8 FTs a game. Compared to 3.4 and 6.0 in the regular season. This isn't some mindblowing thing, here.
@ou_sas @Lost Ones (2.1 per game in the playoffs as a whole).
@Jooseppi yes Miami's perimeter defense kept him from getting to the rim at will in the playoffs , they counter every move he made on the pick and roll. Lakers and spurs were not top 10 defenses and outside of mavericks fouling him he was pretty much limited in that series as well.
@ou_sas @Lost Ones 2.4 turnovers a game in the Miami series, 2.2 in the regular season. Useless!
@ou_sas @Lost Ones But sorry, no counting allowed.
@ou_sas @Lost Ones That isn't better though. Teams want to defend you at the 3 point line and at the rim because those are without a doubt the most efficient shots other than free throws (getting to the rim is the best way to get free throws as well).
If a team wants to defend the midrange, then fine. More easy shots at the rim. Harden got them regardless. 3 a game in the Miami series vs 3.4 during the regular season.
@Jooseppi @Lost Ones I'm not saying to take or not. But if you never take one, then the defense never has to worry about you pulling up - like they do now with Russ. You mean to tell me defenses didn't start crapping their pants when Russ started getting wet from the midrange in the Dallas series?
@Lost Ones So you believe playoff defense kept him from getting to the rim in the Miami series?
@ou_sas @Jooseppi exactly what i was saying statistics will not show that though.
@ou_sas @Lost Ones He had a TS% of 60.5 in the playoffs a TOV percentage of 13.5. It's not like he was struggling.
Not taking midrange shots is a good thing.
@Jooseppi Harden sometimes kills possessions by refusing to take a mid-range shot. Westbrook sometimes kills possessions by taking mid-range shots.
@Jooseppi @Lost Ones The point I think Lost is trying to take is that, at least from the eye test, barreling past a range in an attempt to get to the rim/get a foul works in the regular season... not so much in the playoffs, much to Harden's chagrin. I can remember a couple of instances in the Miami series where Harden tried to drive, got denied, and had a turnover, whereas if he had pulled up, he could have had a decent look.
@Lost Ones But he makes them.
@Jooseppi he's not comfortable with the shot.
@Jooseppi @Lost Ones Even if it wasn't fully due to restraint, Harden's shot selection is perfect for a third option.
@Lost Ones He has a midrange shot.
@Jooseppi defense dictates what plays you're allowed to make in the playoffs, having an mid range shot is incredible asset.